CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It’s almost unfair how easy Cavs rookie Evan Mobley makes basketball look.
The Brooklyn Nets were on the receiving end of that on Monday afternoon as the Cavs picked up a 114-107 “signature win,” in the words of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
In this signature win, Mobley (12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block) may have had the signature play.
With just over a minute to play and the Cavs nursing a narrow 108-105 lead, Brooklyn’s Kessler Edwards missed a 3-pointer from the right baseline. The miss was tipped by Lauri Markkanen into the hands of Jarrett Allen. Allen then kicked it out to Isaac Okoro, who found Darius Garland in the backcourt so that Garland could run Cleveland’s offense.
While all of that happened under the Nets’ basket, Mobley methodically crossed half court, so unceremoniously the Nets didn’t even clock it. The rookie noticed their indifference, however, and simply kept going to the basket.
Garland spotted him, a man on an island. With a quick flick of his wrists, he dished the ball to Mobley, who set his feet to deliver an authoritative two-handed slam.
“That was the game-sealer,” Garland said. “That dunk was the backbreaker for sure. They just left him open in transition. I found him. He slammed it in.”
It’s worth mentioning that Mobley’s play was bookended by two other big Cavs buckets.
With over 3:43 to play, James Harden tied the game at the line for the Nets, sinking six free throws within a minute to make it an even 105-105. The Cavs wrestled the lead back on the next possession as Markkanen got open on the right wing and knocked down an open 3, giving Cleveland its 108-105 advantage.
The two teams went scoreless over the next 2:20 before Mobley’s dunk, and the next big bucket came about 45 seconds later. Harden made a bad pass that Kyrie Irving was unable to corral; instead, Okoro scooped the ball up and got a wide-open transition dunk to put the Cavs up 112-107.
But even if you had another favorite play in the decisive fourth quarter, there’s no denying that Mobley’s dunk says a lot about the rookie’s poise, especially considering that it came during crunch time between two Eastern Conference heavyweights.
Through 37 games, Mobley has understandably become a Rookie of the Year favorite, averaging 14.9 points on 50.7% shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks.
Monday’s dunk was a microcosm of what Mobley does so well. Out on the court he’s graceful, and has the perfect mix of new-school skillset and old-school values. On top of that, he’s already adept at reading opposing defenses -- a skill that usually takes years, not months, for NBA players to develop as they adapt to the speed of the pro game.
Bickerstaff credited Mobley’s development in this regard to how he played the game growing up.
“He’s continued to show us his IQ,” Bickerstaff said. “And from a big guy’s perspective, it’s a lot of times a longer process to get to where he is now. But we talk about it, he was coached really well growing up. And he was coached to play the entire game. He wasn’t coached to just be a back-to-the-basket big man. He was coached to think the game from all five spots on the floor.”
If Mobley is already thinking the game from all five spots, the rest of the league should be on notice.
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